Foreign Minister Keit Pentus-Rosimannus: Russia must be treated as an aggressor, not a partner

15.01.2015

At today’s government session, Foreign Minister Keit Pentus-Rosimannus approved Estonian positions for next Monday’s Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Brussels, which will focus on Russia. The minister said that Estonia continues to stand by its firm belief that there is no basis for the European Union's policy towards Russia to change, since Russia continues to behave as an aggressor and has not complied with the Minsk agreements.

“By imposing sanctions against Russia, the European Union has provided an effective message that severe violations of international law and undermining European security will not be accepted and will have consequences. We need to continue with sanctions until Russian aggression in Ukraine ends,” the minister added.

Pentus-Rosimannus also stressed that in dealing with Russia, the international community must take into account that it is a country that has occupied and annexed Crimea. “A country that does not respect the borders of other sovereign countries and which has occupied and annexed part of Ukraine is not a partner, but rather an aggressor,” the Foreign Minister said.

The Foreign Minister said that at Monday’s Foreign Affairs Council meeting Estonia considers other critical issues to be the European Union’s stronger support for Eastern Partnership countries and closer cooperation of member states in the area of strategic communication in response to Russia’s growing propaganda activities.

Also on the agenda of Monday’s meeting of EU Foreign Ministers (FAC) will be the need to develop the European Union's climate change action plan, the conflict in Libya and cooperation between the EU and the Arab League.